260 



TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



out regard to precedency pulls off a piece of the 

 meat, and squats down with it, at a distance from 

 the fire and apart from the rest, either in a corner 

 of the hut, or under a tree. Above all things, 

 they feed their dogs and hens, which they have 

 received from the colonists and greatly value, 

 and then begin to pull off the flesh, lengthwise, 

 to eat it themselves. Their seasoning is generally 

 a berry of the Malaguetta, a variety of the Capsi- 

 cum f rut escens. The wife places the vessel of 

 mandiocca flour near the fire, and each takes a 

 handful of it, which he throws into his mouth with 

 the same dexterity as the colonists. When the 

 meal is over, a member of the family fetches a 

 vessel of water from a neighbouring brook, out of 

 which every one drinks at pleasure. The Indian 

 is fond of rocking himself, or sleeping in his ham- 

 mock immediately after dinner. Besides dinner 

 he has no regular meal, but eats at times fruit, 

 bananas, water-melons, &c., which he cultivates 

 in the vicinity of the aldea, or often steals from 

 the neighbouring plantations of the colonists. 

 If they have a drinking feast, they begin before 

 sunset to drink the vinhassa, and continue with 

 noisy singing and dancing till towards daybreak, 

 after which they sleep in their nets, half intoxi- 

 cated, till the morning. He who cultivates most 

 maize and has the greatest store of it, is the host 

 for the inhabitants of the neighbouring aldeas, 

 ^nd at every feast they fix the time and place 



